Rahm Emanuel's use of a famous Yogi Berra quote during a recent Chicago Mayoral debate got me thinking about unfair history has been to arguably the best catcher in the history of baseball.

You don't have to agree with me that Yogi Berra was the best catcher in baseball history. Johnny Bench was a great catcher but there are many statisticians on my side who say that Yogi was better. And statistics never lie, right? Combined with my own well-conceived prejudices, I feel quite comfortable with my claim.

I was having a conversation with a twenty-something fellow at work recently when I mentioned Yogi Berra after quoting him in context. The youngster, ostensibly a baseball follower if not a fan, asked me if I was quoting that "stupid cartoon bear". It was funny until I realized he wasn't joking. Now close your eyes for a moment and imagine if you:

  • Were arguably the best catcher in the history of baseball
  • Played in and/or coached 18 All-Star games and 13 World Series
  • Played for the Yankees and Mets and won the American League MVP award 3 times over 19 years of play
  • Went on to coach the Yankees and Mets for 20 more years
  • Were inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Were elected by fans as 1 of 2 catchers on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team (guess who else?)

and your entire career was lost to generations of baseball fans because of a stupid cartoon bear. The Yogi Berra quote that seems most appropriate here: "If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be." True, Yogi. So true.